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Tottenham Hotspur may be watching their academy product impressing in the Championship with regret for letting him leave as a free agent.
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There was method to the madness that saw Tottenham Hotspur allow defender Japhet Tanganga to leave the club as a free agent this summer, despite his outstanding form for Millwall this season, according to a club legend.
The 25-year-old spent the back end of last season on loan at The Den and Lions head coach Neil Harris had made no secret of his desire to have the player back. Tanganga helped Millwall steer clear of relegation last season, providing two vital goals to clinch points, as well as defensive stability.
The Tottenham Hotspur academy product has picked up where he left off this season as well. A mainstay in the Millwall defence, he's been part of the backline that has kept seven clean sheets in 18 outings and a side that is unbeaten since the start of October.
Those results have included 1-0 home victories over promotion-chasing Leeds United and Burnley, in which Tanganga stood out. In the match against Leeds, LondonWorld rated the player a 10/10 and wrote: "A sublime shift. So up for it tonight, confident and decisive in everything he did. The goal topped off a great performance with a clever finish that any striker would be proud of."
With such head-turning performances, it's led to some questioning why Spurs allowed the player to leave so easily. The Premier League side didn't make any profit from a sale with no new contract agreed, despite Tanganga sharing his desire to work with Postecoglou.
Former Spurs and Birmingham City defender Stephen Carr, who made 377 Premier League and 33 Championship appearances during his career, has reasoned that it is hard to criticise the defender's former club for how they handled the situation.
Millwall on ‘terrific run of form’ with Tanganga
When asked if Tottenham Hotspur could be regretting their decision to release Tanganga, Carr told William Hill: "Great question and spot on. Tanganga is doing really well at Millwall and has a good partnership with Jake Copper.
"Millwall are on a terrific run of form and defensively they are doing really well and have had some great results lately, which has also see Tanganga get on the scoresheet which is always a massive bonus for the team if you’re not only scoring from the attacking players but defenders are getting in on the act.
"Sometimes the timing isn’t right for players and that can be a reason why he was let go. You need a good run in a side to be confident with your fellow defenders and build a good relationship. You look at all partnerships and they don’t just gel at once and it’s difficult to come in and out of a side."